Top Streaming Media Players 2023

This is how you make a set-top box

Google's 4K-capable Chromecast Ultra is the least expensive UHD media streamer available, but you still need a smartphone, tablet, or computer to control it.

The Roku Ultra improves on the streaming quality of its predecessors by adding Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support alongside staple niceties like the voice remote with headphone jack and improved Wi-Fi antenna. Roku’s main user interface isn’t aging as gracefully as it should and it has some audio syncing issues, but for half the cost of an Apple TV 4K, the new Roku Ultra is a great value.

The Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ bundles the company's Streaming Stick 4K and Voice Remote Pro into one compelling package for hands-free 4K media streaming.

The Roku Express 4K+ makes it easy to access and stream 4K HDR content on your TV and is the company's most affordable 4K model.

The Roku Ultra LT offers the best features of Roku's highest-end streaming player for a reasonable price.

Roku continues to push the price of 4K streaming down with the new $40 Premiere. The device supports 4K, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos playback and costs even less than Amazon’s recently announced $49.99 Fire TV Stick 4K.

The Roku Streaming Stick is a moderately priced, no-nonsense gadget with lots of stuff to watch and a significantly improved remote.

Roku's top-end 4K media streaming box, the Ultra, is packed full of handy features, but whether they're worth the $100 price depends on your viewing needs. For many, the $70 Streaming Stick+ will be just fine.

The Shield TV is a powerful Android TV-based media streaming microconsole with plenty of gaming tricks and hands-free Google Assistant support to help justify its hefty price tag.